BILL NUMBER: S1647A
SPONSOR: HOYLMAN-SIGAL
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public officers law, in relation to lowering quorum
requirements for meetings of community boards held by videoconferencing
 
PURPOSE:
To ease requirements for in-person attendance of community board members
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1 reduces the number of community board members required to
physically attend a meeting using videoconferencing from a quorum to one
quarter of the members and the relevant presiding officer.
Section 2 provides that the bill shall be effective immediately.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
The FY23 Enacted budget created flexibility for public bodies to use
videoconferencing while complying with the Open Meetings Law. One of the
requirements was that a quorum of the public body must meet in person.
For community boards in New York City, which can have up to 50 members
and are volunteer positions, gathering a quorum presents a significant
burden.
This bill will ease those requirements only for community boards by
requiring that a quarter of the membership and the relevant presiding
officer be physically present in order to allow the use of videoconfer-
encing for other members.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
S.9221 of 2021-2022 (Hoylman): Died in Investigations and Government
Operations
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.

Statutes affected:
S1647A: 103-a public officers law